Schedules Tutorial

An important aspect to every successful sales strategy is determining when, how often, and how many items are posted to the marketplace, which in ChannelAdvisor Merchant, is managed with Schedules. The Merchant platform supports a wide variety of automated scheduling options. Schedules can be assigned either to individual items or to an entire class of items.

In Merchant there are two basic types of schedules: maintain schedules and standard schedules. Maintain schedules list new items based upon the performance of your current listings. Standard schedules post new items at specified times. There are 2 types of Standard schedules: a daily schedule using a single posting window and a daily schedule using different posting windows.

This article explains how to configure and use each type of schedule. The guide first discusses concepts and configurations common to all schedules, then covers how each different schedule works, and finally explains classification schedules.

To see your schedules, go to the Schedules view (Inventory > Schedules)

The process used to create a new schedule is the same for all types of schedules. Additionally, there are many settings that are common to all schedule types. This section covers how to create a new schedule and the settings common to all schedules.

The process to create a new schedule is the same for all types of schedules. To create a new ad schedule, do the following:

1. Go to the Schedules view (Inventory > Schedules)
2. Click
3. Select a schedule type.

4. Click

The configuration page for that schedule will display. Each schedule type has a different display, but a number of settings are common to all schedules. The exact location on the page of these settings varies for each schedule type but settings described below behave the same for all schedules.

Schedule Name

Choose a descriptive name for each schedules. We suggest naming the schedule based on the schedule type and settings (e.g. “Daily 1 Item Mon 7PM”)

Quantity in Each Listing

Determine how many of the same item to post into each ad. For normal auctions, leave this quantity at one. For store listings and multiple quantity listings, such as Dutch auctions, change this amount as appropriate. If listing “All available inventory” this will put all of the items available into a single listing.

Begin Posting On / Schedule Start Date

This is the day that the schedule to start running. For Maintain Schedules, ads will be posted to the marketplace on the date specified here. For Daily Schedules, the schedule will start running on this date but will only post to the marketplace on the weekdays you specify.

Initial Posting Window

A Posting window is a span of time over which all the items assigned to that schedule will post. Merchant will attempt to evenly distribute postings over the window of time. However, this distribution is based upon the total number of items assigned to that schedule.

All schedules require that an initial posting window be created that determines the time during which items will post to the marketplace. Posting windows can be incremented in 5-minute intervals and the start and end times must differ by at least 5 minutes.

For example, the posting window for the schedule below is 2 hours long and extends from 7PM to 9PM.

If this schedule were assigned to 1 item, that item would post at 7:00 PM. If the schedule were assigned to 4 items, these items would post every 30 minutes. 12 items would post every 10 minutes. In the case that the schedule is assigned to multiple SKUs, Merchant randomly chooses the specific item that posts at a given time.

Relists

This setting controls what happens in the case that an item closes with no bids. The default setting allows the scheduler to automatically relist any item that has closed with no bids. The item will be posted to the marketplace again at the next appropriate time specified by the schedule. In the case of daily schedules, the item will relist during the next posting window. For evenly distributed and maintain schedules, the item relist time will be governed by the number of currently open ads for that SKU and by the conditions specified in the schedule.

If the schedule does not automatically relist items, those items will be returned to the inventory. To post the items again, assign them to a schedule again. We recommend the schedule be allowed to automatically relist items.

Continue Posting

This controls how long items will post to the marketplace. The default setting will list items to the marketplace until the available inventory for that item reaches 0. However, this value can be set to any number.

You can also choose to list an item to the marketplace only a specified number of times. Both initial listings and relists count towards this total. For example assuming you have enabled relisting, if you set the posting total to 5 and posted 3 items to the marketplace but none of them sold, the schedule would then only relist 2 items.

Finally, specify the date for the schedule to stop posting.

The daily schedule that uses a single posting window posts ads to the marketplace on the days of the week specified. On each day enabled, this schedule will distribute the postings over the same posting window.

In addition to the settings common to all schedules, specify how many copies of the an ad to post on each day, the days of the week to post, and the weekly repeat frequency for the schedule.

The following example demonstrates how to create a daily schedule with a single posting window.

In this example, each week on Monday and Friday, this schedule will post 2 ads per SKU to the marketplace between 7:00 and 9:00 PM. Each ad will contain 1 item. The ads posted on Monday will run for 5 days and the ads posted on Friday will run for 3 days. The schedule will start posting on the first Monday or Friday that occurs on or after March 15, 2004. If items close without bids, this schedule will automatically relist them and will continue to list items until the inventory quantity reaches zero.

The daily schedule that uses a multiple posting windows will post ads to the marketplace on the days of the week specified. On each day enabled, this schedule will distribute the postings over the specific posting window for that day. The only real differences between this schedule and the Daily Schedule: Single Posting Window is that this schedule uses different posting windows for each day and varying numbers of ads can be posted on each day.

The following example demonstrates how to create a daily schedule with multiple posting windows.

In this example, each week on Monday and Friday, this schedule will post ads to the marketplace. Each ad will contain 1 item. On Monday, 1 listing will be posted between 7:00 PM and 9:00PM that will run for 5 days. On Friday, 2 listings will be posted between 10:00 AM and 10:30 AM that will run for 3 days. The schedule will start posting on the first Monday or Friday that occurs on or after March 15, 2004. If items close without bids, this schedule will automatically relist them and will continue to list items until the inventory quantity reaches zero.

Maintain schedules are one more powerful scheduling features in Merchant because items are posted to the marketplace based upon the performance of your current listings. A maintain schedule posts items to the marketplace on the starting day of the schedule during the initial posting window. New items are then posted during the “Maintain Posting Window” based upon settings established under “Posting Methods.”

There are three different "Posting Methods" to control the listing of additional items.

The following example demonstrates how to create a schedule to always maintain a certain number of live listings in the marketplace.

For this example, 2 ads will be posted to the marketplace on March 15 between 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM and will run for 5 days. Additional items will continue to post until the inventory quantity reaches zero but these new items will post between 12:00PM and 1:00PM.

If one of the ads closed before the 5-day listing time expired (e.g. the buyer used “Buy It Now”), the schedule would then post another item between 12 and 1 PM.

The following example demonstrates how to create a schedule so that new items will post if the same item currently in the marketplace receives a certain number of bids. This example assumes that only the posting method has changed from the previous example.

As before, 2 ads will be posted to the marketplace on March 15 between 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM and will run for 5 days. Additional items will continue to post until the inventory quantity reaches zero but these new items will post between 12:00PM and 1:00PM.

However if either of the open listing receives 3 or more bids, the schedule will post another item between 12 and 1 PM that will run for 5 days (making 3 total open listings). If an item closes with 2 or fewer bids, new items will post normally until inventory reaches zero.

Often this type of schedule is used to post another item if the current item receives a bid. To do this, set the schedule to maintain 1 open postings with less than or equal to 0 bids. Then if an item receives a single bid, another listing will post.

Recovery rate schedules use the previous sales history of the item over the past 10 days as a basis for posting new items. This schedule is usually only used in the case of having multiples of the same item to be posted over an extended period of time. For this schedule, set the recovery value to use cost, start price, etc., and how many items to list based upon the percentatge of the recovery value reached.

This example demonstrates how to create a recovery rate schedule and assumes that only the posting method has changed from the above examples.

In this example, initially 1 item will post to the marketplace between 7PM and 9PM for a duration of 5 days. Then if that item did not sell or sold below cost, the schedule would post only 1 new listing between 12PM and 1PM. However, if the item sold between 100% and 150%, the schedule would post 2 listings for the item. If the item sold above 150%, then 3 listing would be kept open.

The number of listings that is maintained is based upon the total sales performance of the ad. For example, if the seller were recovering 105% of cost for this item and there were 2 open listings but those 2 listings closed with no bids, the recovery rate may drop below 100%. Therefore only 1 new listing will be posted. If the recovery rate based on cost drops below 110%, that item will post the minimum number of ads assigned. Items without closing data will maintain the lowest number of open ads in the matrix. If the recovery rate should go above the specificed limits, it will maintain the minimum number of assigned listings. Because the recovery method uses the total sales history of an ad, this schedule performs best over extended periods of time.

To fully understand this schedule it is important to understand what the logic for the schedule is. Recovery rate schedules use the previous sales history of the item over the past 10 days as a basis for posting new items. The statistics found in the Performance History Report (Inventory>Performance History) will help in understanding the calculations.
Recovery Rate = SKU Selling Price/(SKU Sold Price and Unsold ($0)), where the unsold items will decrease the overall SKU recovery rate. In the example below, assume a total of 4 SKU's and a Selling Price of $60.
$90 + $30 + $0 + $0 = $120
$120/4=$30
$60/$30 = 2

The four types of recovery rate calculations are:

% of Seller Cost Recovered = (Average Closing Bid Amount/Seller Cost) x 100
% of Starting Price Reached - (Average Clsing Bid Amount/Starting Price) x 100
% of BIN Price Reached = (Average Closing Bid Amount/Bin Price) x 100
% of Retail Cost Recovered = (Average Closing Bid Amount/Retail Cost) x 100

The following rules govern the calculations:

In the example below, items with revenue are at least 140% will maintain at 5 live auctions. If and when the recovery rate decreases the number of listings will decrease according to the schedule. If the recovery rate drops below 110%, then the item will post he minimum number of ads assign or one in this example. If an item has no sales activity, it will maintain the lowest number of ads in the matrix. Any items with closing data not falling between any defined low % and high % will maintain minimum number of ads assigned. Should the recovery rate for the item go above the limits (%500) the minimum number of ads will be maintained.

Classification schedules work exactly the same way as regular ad schedules except that an entire class of items will use the schedule instead of individual SKUs. In other words, all items assigned to a given classification will use the classification schedule. The method used to create and configure a classification schedule is exactly the same as the previous examples except that there is no option to create an Evenly Distributed classification schedule.

The process to create a new schedule is the same for all types of schedules. To create a new class schedule, do the following:

1. Go to the Schedules view (Inventory > Schedules)
2. Click
3. Select a schedule type.

4. Click

Assigning a schedule to ads is very simple. If the schedule you wish to use already exists, you can assign the schedule to the ad when you create the ad. However if you want to assign a schedule to ads after you create the ads or in bulk, do the following:

1. Go to the Schedules view (Inventory > Schedules)
2. Click
3. Put checks next to the ads and click
4. Select the schedule to use and click

Assigning a schedule to a classification is also very simple. If the schedule you wish to use already exists, you can assign the schedule to the classification when you create the classification. However, you can also assign a schedule to a classification later. To do this:

1. Go to the Schedules view (Inventory > Schedules)
2. Click
3. Select the classification and click
4. Select the schedule to use and click